*please note that any delivery timeframes listed on our site are a guide only, based on the information provided by our postal suppliers. All dates listed are indications that can at any time be affected by unforeseen circumstance and delays beyond our control.

Our warehouse will be closed from Saturday December 23 and will reopen Monday January 8. You will still be able to purchase electronic gift vouchers until 5pm Christmas Eve Sunday 24 December.
During the break the online shop will still be open and all items will be dispatched from Monday January 8. We will also be available via email, Facebook and Twitter for customer enquiries and general chit-chat 🙂

My son’s kindergarten, daycare centre and local primary school kids joined the ‘bike bus’ and rode through the local streets with smiles and cheers before finishing up with a healthy breakfast in their bush garden.

Over the past 40 years the number of children who are physically active every day has significantly dropped. Today, levels of physical activity are at an all-time low. In the 1970s, eight out of ten students rode or walked to school. That number has dropped to just two out of ten.

Cycling, scootering and walking to school is an easy way to start the day with some exercise – and studies show kids are then happier, more engaged and ready to learn.

Let’s get more kids healthy and active – plus riding to school is FUN!

I feel compelled to write to you because that woman could easily have been me, or my children. I’m a City of Maribyrnong resident and I am a female cyclist in my 30s who cycles regularly as a mode of transport, often with my two children aged 4 and 6 years old.

Whitehall Street has an off-street bike lane but at the intersection of Somerville Road cyclists are forced to share the road with a busy truck route with a desultory ‘bike lane’ marked by a white line. There is no physical barrier, no sharrows, no bollards, bike advance traffic signals or even green road paint.

While the relevant locations are owned and managed by VicRoads, they are located within the City of Maribyrnong.

As such I am seeking your assistance to advocate for:

the State Government amending its design requirements for Western Distributor to include a requirement to provide safe, protected and separated cycling infrastructure at Whitehall St x Somerville Road and along Somerville Road until at least Williamstown Road (the “relevant locations”);

the State Government and VicRoads to engineer an interim safe cycling solution at the relevant locations until the Western Distributor is completed; and

an increase in spending on bicycle infrastructure by the City of Maribyrnong commensurate with other Melbourne inner city municipalities.

Safe cycling infrastructure at the relevant locations

I know as a local councillor you can apply political pressure on the State Government and VicRoads to engineer a safe solution to cyclists being forced to mix with cars and trucks at the relevant locations.

Firstly, the current design requirements for Western Distributor state there will be a new fully separated walking and cycling connection from the Somerville Road/Whitehall St intersection to the Maribyrnong River.

However, once a cyclist moves inland from the intersection there will be no separated bike infrastructure.

If we are to prevent further deaths at this cycling black spot then the design requirements for Western Distributor need to be amended to specifically require that there is separated bike infrastructure at the relevant locations.

Secondly, as Western Distributor will take years to complete I am also asking that you apply political pressure on the State Government and VicRoads now to engineer an interim solution that can be quickly applied to enhance the safety of the relevant locations.

Funding of cycling infrastructure in the City of Maribyrnong

This tragic death also highlights the inadequate funding that City of Maribyrnong currently allocates to cycling infrastructure.

The Maribyrnong Bicycle Strategy 2014-2019 indicates that Council recognises the benefits of environmental, mobility, health and social equity benefits of investment in infrastructure and programs supporting cycling.

A 2011 study by the Cycling Promotion Fund and the National Heart Foundation describes the top four reasons why Australians (who would like to) do not cycle for transport:

– Unsafe road conditions (46%);

– Speed/volume of traffic (42%);

– Don’t feel safe riding (41%); and

– Lack of bicycle lanes/trails (35%).

The percentages are further increased when the question is asked of women.

Further the ABS forecasts that between 2013-2031 the population in Maribyrnong is predicted to increase to 111,189, a rise of 30% on the forecast population for 2015 of 85,302.

Investing in safe cycling infrastructure directly alleviates the four main reasons why Australians do not cycle and it is an economically efficient transport solution for Maribyrnong’s predicted population growth.

The 16/17 Council budget shows proposed expenditure of $350,000 on bicycle network upgrades on the river trail, which equates to only $4.18 per capita.

If the Council is truly committed to increasing cycling as a mode of transport then it needs to increase its expenditure on cycling to be at least commensurate with other Melbourne inner city municipalities (2016 data):

Finally you would know that Maribyrnong has a cycling gender gap (only 26% of cyclists in Maribyrnong are women) and in general women are more sensitive to the absence of dedicated bike lanes. Women are an indicator species for cycling – when a route reaches parity between genders then the route is safe for cyclists generally. Thus the measures that promote cycling as a safe mode of transport for women should be a priority when considering the allocation of cycling funding.

I am hoping that there will be a coordinated response to this tragedy so I will be sending similar correspondence to the other City of Maribyrnong councillors, Wade Noonan, State Member for Williamstown and Luke Donellan, the Minister for Roads and Road Safety.

I cried at the gym while I was thinking about this woman and her family and friends.

I’m a woman cyclist in her 30s. I live in the inner west of Melbourne. I have often ridden past that corner of Somerville Road and Whitehall Street. I am really rattled to get on my bike today.

That woman could have been me. That woman could have been my two kids.

So I feel compelled to be take action. The two roads in question are owned and managed by VicRoads and are located within the City of Maribyrnong. Whitehall Street has an off-street bike lane but at the intersection of Somerville Road cyclists are forced to share the road with a busy truck route with a desultory ‘bike lane’ marked by a white line. There is no physical barrier, no sharrows, no bollards, bike advance traffic signals or even green road paint.

This is not good enough.

The research is unequivocal. Bikes, cars and especially trucks don’t mix well. Cyclists need protected bike lanes to be and feel safe. Build safe bicycle infrastructure and people will use it.

VicRoads know this. City of Maribyrnong know this. Their lack of action is due to lack of funding and lack of political will.

So this woman’s needless death is the time to make your voice heard. I urge you to write to:

Demand a coordinated team response to this tragedy. Demand more funding for bicycle infrastructure in the City of Maribyrnong from the council and from VicRoads. Given the projected population growth at Maribyrnong, both the state and local government need to step up its financial commitment to provide safe options for more people to cycle as a mode of transport.

The Women of the World (WOW) Festival is coming to Melbourne for the first time on Thursday 23 March – Saturday 25 March. Footscray Community Arts Centre will come alive for the three-day festival celebrating women and exploring the remaining challenges to gender equality. With over 80 speakers, and 90 events happening in three days, the Melbourne festival is a not-to-be-missed celebration and a timely call to action.

Joyce Watts from CycleStyle will be leading FREE Pushy Women bike rides on Saturday 25 March! Discover diverse businesses run by Westie Women creators, makers and doers. The morning ride is especially for mums and bubs in a bike seat. Book now.

Thursday 23 March – Saturday 25 March:

WOW Café – FREE curated program featuring festival highlights such as conversations, short talks and performances. You’ll also find the WOW Marketplace there with stalls by local designers, artists and makers, including CycleStyle.

Thursday 23 March – Friday 24 March:

Fluidity – FREE walk with local artist Chantal Wynter who will guide you to contemplate what is cherished in our society and what is discarded, and to examine how Footscray’s unique environs reflect these thoughts.

Saturday 25 March:

WOW kids – FREE workshops and games with 100 Story Building, The Stella Prize, Robogals, Women’s Circus and hula hoopers!

WOW Make Noise concert – FREE gig on the lush lawns of FCAC after the WOW Kids’ program. Featuring Sampa the Great, Mojo Juju, Electric Fields, The Black Sistaz, Sugar Fed Leopards, MzRizk and Thando. Bring a picnic and enjoy the music and the atmosphere!

While you’re at Habitots visit one of their classes, hang out in their playroom or enjoy the garden with sand pit and cubby house. And now for a limited time you can find the best kids cycling gear too!

If you are a woman from Melbourne’s West who wants to learn to ride a bike (or to get a refresher course on bike riding) then sign up to The Squeaky Wheel’s newest program PUSHY WOMEN WEST!

PUSHY WOMEN WEST is a FREE bicycle training program delivered by women for women from the Braybrook Community Hub in March 2017.

You don’t need to own a bike – a bike and all safety gear is provided for the training. Once you complete the program you receive a free second-hand bicycle and safety gear from The Squeaky Wheel and Footscray Rotary Bike Shed.

An Information session will be run on Wednesday 22 February, 10am at Braybrook Community Hub. If you can’t make it but want to join just contact The Squeaky Wheel.

Learn to Ride sessions held on Wednesdays, 1, 8, 15 and 22 March, 10am – 12pm. Ideally you should commit to all sessions in order to get the most out of it, but drop in ladies are welcome too.

JanGehl believes ‘A good city is like a good party. People stay longer than really necessary because they are enjoying themselves.’

The hugely influential urbanist, architect and humanist was in Melbourne and I was lucky enough to be in the audience.

I am so engaged by his talk that I don’t bother trying to update social media with any of his insights. So here’s a selection of #melbconvo #jangehl tweets from the night to give you a flavour of his stories of a life of making our cities happier and more liveable.

The article points out that the average Melbourne cyclist – male, aged 36-45 – rides 5-10km for commuting or transport. They are comfortable riding with general traffic on the roads.

The biggest problem with cycling in Melbourne when you’re a woman is that the city’s network of bike paths don’t connect to each other and don’t go to the places that as a general rule, women need to go.

Women, if they are parents, are often the primary caregiver. That means that the most often used route is to and from school, kindergarten, daycare. In my case, my bike route involves crossing two major roads (both truck routes) and in some cases it means mounting the pavement to avoid the traffic.

Women in general still take on the bulk of the house duties. That means I need a convenient route to the local shops and services and a place to park my bike at the other end. The safety of the route is even more paramount as I often have my children tagging along to these shops and services.

I am not riding 5-10km a day. The maximum radius of most of my day to day life is about 3-4km. It’s a distance that’s too short for driving (plus the hassle of finding somewhere to park) but too long to walk if I have young children or groceries to carry.

A bike is the perfect solution, if only I didn’t have to mix with heavy traffic and to follow bike lanes that end abruptly and force me to complete my journey on the road.

At the moment, my biggest bugbear is travelling from Footscray onto the dedicated bike path along Dynon Road. The bike path is smooth, off road and sheltered – and hardly anyone uses it because it stops abruptly at the intersection of Kensington Road. To reach Footscray (and the rest of Melbourne’s inner west) there is a footpath and bridge that is like a narrow and uneven obstacle course. You cannot have two bikes easily pass along it, let along a cargo bike. Technically I’m not even supposed to be riding on the pavement as it’s illegal in Victoria.

As such I am forced onto Dynon Road because it is wide and smooth – and also full of trucks going 60km/hr. It is an extremely scary experience with children in the cargo bike and there is no way I’d let them ride alone on the road there. However, it’s the most direct route from the northern end of Footscray into the CBD and as long as I grit my teeth and bear the 1km of terror I can then rest easy on the bike path. I am very confident riding on the roads thanks to years of experience, but I am in the minority.

When you don’t have bike paths that go to where women need to go and bike paths that aren’t built in a safe manner where they’re protected from traffic, women won’t use bikes as their preferred mode of transport. Easy as that.

What are your thoughts on why cycling is still mostly a male affair in Melbourne?

A very wet day didn’t deter a group of intrepid women joining us for another Westie Women food ride with The Squeaky Wheel.

The second edition of ‘Boun appetito by bike’ visited some slightly different venues to the previous ride as we celebrated everything Italian in the inner west with tour guide Joyce Watts of CycleStyle and MEL: HOT OR NOT.

First stop was Ovest for warming hot chocolates and potato doughnuts with chocolate mousse. Ovest were even kind enough to open up especially for us as they don’t usually trade during Saturday lunch times.

Second stop was Fox in the Corn for plates of steaming hot pasta. They even have bikes hung up as wall decoration so it’s the perfect stop for a bike tour!

Last stop was T Cavallaro and Sons for an Italian (or technically Sicilian) sweet. Always a crowd favourite, their cannoli are the best in Melbourne.

The June rides are now open for bookings! If you’re a woman who lives, works or plays in Melbourne’s inner west join me for a 1.5 hour cycling tour of the best food in the area for only $15 (including tour and tastings).

The sun was shining yet again for our latest Westie Women food ride with The Squeaky Wheel.

‘Boun appetito by bike’ celebrated everything Italian in the inner west with tour guide Joyce Watts of CycleStyle and MEL: HOT OR NOT.

In the 1950s Footscray was a centre for Italian migrants. Sixty years later eleven female cyclists joined Joyce to experience how Italian cuisine has been reinterpreted for modern Australians with a three course meal by bike.

Wheelie Good Day is a community gathering and street party in Melrose Street North Melbourne and it’s on this Sunday 1 May 11am-4pm.

The day is all about educating and training families to ride a bike plus a full with a program of workshops, tours and fun!

We’ll be there with the Book Swap Bike, a Christiania cargo bike filled with secondhand children’s books and a pop up reading lawn. Families are invited to either bring a book to swap, to borrow a book to read together or to participate in colouring-in and/or craft activities.

The designers of Aster claim that they’ve addressed 75% of the causes of bike accidents.

Aster‘s rear and profile lights make you visible to motorists from all sides, front lights signal your presence in rear-view mirrors and automatic brake lights help you avoid getting rear-ended. Integrated turn signals make sure that drivers around you know when you’re making a turn.

Control Aster’s light settings and more with their app (called the Lumos Aster app), available for both Android and iOS platforms. You can adjust your light settings to meet the regulations specific to your state or country. The app allows you to see the battery life remaining, both in the 4000mAh USB-chargeable battery and the handlebar unit.

Using the Lumos app and the handlebar-unit, you can lock your bike in its place with one tap! If your cycle is moved for more than 5 seconds once locked, an alarm is triggered to attract attention.

Aster also has several commuter-specific compartments – a minimalist helmet holder, a whistle buckle, tuck-away U-lock holder loops, zippered bottle pockets, rain-cover and an ‘In Case of Emergency’ information slot in the event of a crash.

You can pack a 15.6 inch laptop with charger, change of clothes and shoes, smaller gadgets, books, bike-tools and spares, rain-jacket, a 1 litre water bottle and even your lunch!

Aster is also weather-resistant, with a waterproof TPU coated exterior and rain-resistant zippers that cause water to bead up and roll off the surface.

Aster’s Indiegogo campaign ends on 30 April so get in quick to support the production of this innovative product!